Smith Orchards

When folks ask where we grow our fruit we proudly say "Provo", but that's not technically true. While our farm's address is in Provo we have been actually located in unincorporated Utah County, adjacent to Provo. Until now.

In November 2022, in a conversation with Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, councilman George Handley, community development director Bill Pepperone, and other city leaders, we were asked why we didn't annex our farm property into Provo City. The answer was simple. In Utah County our farm was protected by our status in an Agriculture Protection Area. There was no such designation for farms in Provo.

In brief, APAs provide legal protection for agricultural land uses and activities, providing notice to neighboring land owners that they border an APA and should expect normal agricultural activities to take place. APAs in Utah are governed by state code, but individual counties and cities can choose whether to allow them in their area. We have greatly valued the protections we enjoy because of our farm's APA status the past 19 years. It has given us peace of mind and security while we swim upstream against the tide of development.

Following our November 2022 discussion, the wheels in Provo City began to roll. Community development leaders worked with the city legal department to unpack the state APA law and craft a version that fit Provo. The state law requires a farm to have 40 acres of land to qualify. Provo's law would require 20. The planning commission suggested that a 10 acre minimum would be more agreeable. The city council pared that down to 5 acres in the final version, understanding that intense agriculture on smaller acreage is viable and appropriate in an urban setting like Provo. They wanted to encourage young entrepreneurial farmers to join and stay in the fight we call farming. Pretty darn amazing.

In June Provo City adopted their APA law. In July they annexed the lower 5 acres of our farm. We will soon begin the annexation process for our foothill property.

This morning we hosted Brandon Larson-- the Provo City planner who guided us through the annexation process--and a camera crew in our orchard to talk about agriculture in Provo City.
It's ironic that the oldest farm in continual family ownership in Utah County is now the newest farm in Provo. We feel like we are being welcomed home, and we haven't moved an inch.

Sunrise in the Satsumas and Suncrests

After a stormy Monday we're hearing the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" in our heads.